Greater New Orleans

West Abita area aims to build new community park

A group of residents in the west Abita neighborhood are hoping the creation of a nearby park will give their kids a safer place to play than on their narrow streets. The group has formed the Carnation Street Park Committee and is working on plans and funding for new recreational facilities on a two-acre piece of property in Abita Springs that is bordered by Carnation Street on its east side.

The land belongs to the St. Tammany Parish School Board, which recently signed an agreement with the Town of Abita Springs allowing it to become a park.

Now it’s up to residents to gather the needed funds to put in the amenities they determined they needed during a community meeting in February. This includes playground equipment, basketball courts, a walking path and more.

“We don’t have any type of facilities,” said Joe Freeman, president of the Carnation Street Park Committee. “On any given day, the kids gather in the streets to play.”

The neighborhood, off of Louisiana 36 between Abita Springs and downtown Covington, has narrow streets that make it difficult for two cars to pass each other, residents say. But because there are a large number of kids in the neighborhood, they often play basketball and other games in the road.

“It’s dangerous,” homeowner Sharon Strong said. “We want to create a park that is safe and secure and is a place to have fun, for all ages.”

The committee, which is working with an architect to draw up the park’s plans, wants to construct it in phases, with the first phase containing the playground equipment and preparation of the basketball courts.

Freeman estimates that they need at least $30,000 for construction.

“A lot of things we’re going to do ourselves,” he said.

The neighborhood has 80 homes constructed by Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West. Most have been built since Hurricane Katrina, and recently the nonprofit sold two more properties, said Jeff St. Romain, Habitat STW’s president and CEO.

As a result, the nonprofit has committed, through its Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative, to provide a matching donation of $1,000 once the community raises their first $1,000.

“We have a big commitment in that neighborhood,” St. Romain said. “This is the perfect project to fund.”

Greg Lemons, Abita Springs Alderman and mayor pro-tem, and Mayor Louis Fitzmorris also have offered to help the committee.

The nonprofit Friends of the Park, which developed and maintains the park in Abita Springs at the Tammany Trace trailhead, will collect donations for the new park.

Habitat STW also hopes to pledge additional funds and help recruit volunteers for the construction. St. Romain said the site has been cleared by a local lumber company at no cost.

“We would hope that other area organizations and businesses will contribute,” St. Romain said.

For more information on being involved with the park’s development or to make a donation, contact Carnation Street Park Committee members Carl Celestine at 630.4744, Sharon Strong at 246.8715 or Joe Freeman 789.6509.